"Airship preparing to land! All Apprentices are prohibited from indoor activity!" The meal-delivery puppet's shrill, mechanical voice screeched through the airship, its eerie cadence bouncing off the organic-metal walls like a banshee's wail. "Repeating! Airship preparing to land! All Apprentices are prohibited from indoor activity!"
Edwyn lounged on his top bunk in Room 225, his lean frame sprawled with casual defiance, his sharp blue eyes glinting under the crystal lamp's soft glow. After nearly a month of flight, the Zeppelin-Class Arcane Airship had reached its destination: the Black Tower Magus Academy. His mana was fully restored after ten days of recovery, his Mana Flow humming like a well-oiled engine. Elia, perched on her lower bunk, had caught up, her own Mana Flow complete and all four Zero-Circle Spells, Magic Missile, Force Barrier, Feather Step, and Silence Field, locked and loaded. The air was thick with the scent of ink, old wood, and the faint ozone tang of the ship's runes, the hum of its engines a steady pulse beneath their feet.
Kevan Medici's failed recruitment pitch had been a wake-up call. Lone wolves didn't last in a kill-or-be-killed exam, so Edwyn and Elia had forged an alliance, their offense and defense tightly knit. With her brains and his firepower, they were ready to face the blood-soaked gauntlet ahead. But Elia's knuckles were white as she clutched her academy-issued satchel, her freckled face pale with dread.
"Edwyn, what are we gonna do?" she asked, her voice trembling, her blue eyes wide with fear. This was a girl who'd never swatted a fly, let alone killed a man.
Edwyn flashed his signature grin, sharp and reckless, leaning back with his hands behind his head.
"What else, Goldilocks? We survive, kick ass, and maybe grab a pizza after. No sweat." His tone was light, like the impending slaughter was just a bar brawl, but his eyes held a steely resolve.
BOOM! The cabin jolted, the thunderous roar of the airship's landing shaking the walls, the runes flaring like fireflies. Elia yelped, clutching her bunk, while Edwyn vaulted to his feet, his grin widening. "Showtime!"
"Airship has landed," the puppet's voice rasped through the corridor. "All Apprentices, gather your belongings and disembark in order."
Edwyn slung his satchel over his shoulder, Elia mirroring him as they filed out of Room 225, joining the stream of Apprentices pouring into the corridor. The skeletal Arch-Mage who'd handed out their starter kits stood at the exit, his hollow eyes glinting as he passed each Apprentice a leather belt studded with test tubes filled with a greenish, viscous liquid. Edwyn took his, the tubes clinking softly, their weight reassuring against his hip. "So, this is the nutrient potion, huh?" he muttered, his grin sly. Liquid lunch for two weeks. Classy.
Outside, the airship's ramp opened to a vast clearing, the sky dim under the shadows of dozens of massive Arcane Airships hovering in formation, their hulls blotting out the sun like floating fortresses. The air was cool and sharp, carrying the scent of damp earth and distant pine. Over ten thousand Apprentices stood in rigid lines, their patched tunics and polished armor a stark contrast under the airships' looming bulk. Edwyn and Elia joined their group, their boots sinking into the soft ground, the weight of the moment pressing on their shoulders.
Above them, a white-bearded Arch-Mage hovered, his black robes billowing despite the still air, his bespectacled eyes glinting with arcane power. Tyrek, the monocled Mage from their airship, bowed low, his voice crisp. "Zeppelin-class airship No. 050 has arrived. Number of Apprentices: 198."
The hovering Arch-Mage nodded, and Tyrek withdrew, his robe fading into the crowd.
"Silence," the Arch-Mage said, his voice soft yet piercing, reaching every ear like a whisper in the dark. Edwyn's gut twisted, a primal fear clawing at his chest. This wasn't Tyrek or Elenei, this was Elric, Vice-Chancellor of the Black Tower, his presence a suffocating weight, like standing before a god. No aura, no flex, just raw, unyielding power.
"Welcome to the 432nd entrance exam of Black Tower Magus Academy," Elric continued, his tone clinical. "I am Elric, your examiner. The exam is divided into ten arenas, each with one thousand students. Each arena contains ten Arcane Beasts, equipped with enchanted items provided by the academy. Those strong enough may hunt them. Additional rules are on page 32 of your handbook. Review them yourselves. Now, begin."
With a wave of his hand, glowing patterns erupted beneath the Apprentices' feet, intertwining into complex geometric arrays that pulsed with mana. Edwyn glanced down, his heart kicking into overdrive. What the hell? Panic sparked in his chest. Are they scrambling us?
"Edwyn!" Elia gasped, her voice lost in the rising hum of the arrays. He reached for her, but a high-pitched buzz drowned his senses, his vision blurring into a chaotic swirl of colors. Nausea hit like a punch, his stomach lurching as the world dissolved. "Teleportation, huh?" he muttered, his voice strained. Fancy way to make me puke.
Three seconds later, the world snapped back. Edwyn staggered, clutching a gnarled tree in a lush, primal forest, its canopy dense with emerald leaves that blocked the sun. The air was thick with the scent of moss, sap, and distant water, the ground soft under his boots. He retched, bile burning his throat, the teleportation's aftershock roiling his gut.
"Ugh, those damn nobles didn't warn us about this," he groaned, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "Hope Elia's heart's tough enough to handle it."
High above, pillars of light pierced the sky, their dazzling beams visible even in daylight, marking the exam's destination. Edwyn fastened his test tube belt, the nutrient potions clinking, and took a deep breath. The rules gave fourteen days to reach the goal, so arriving early was a no-brainer. Get there fast, stay alive. Simple plan. He set off toward the light, his boots crunching through the undergrowth, his senses sharp despite the forest's eerie quiet.
The teleportation had unleashed chaos. The forest erupted with movement, thousands of Apprentices sprinting, climbing, or casting spells to reach the pillars. Knights in gleaming armor bounded through the trees, their strength inhuman. Mage Apprentices hurled cantrips, their mana trails glowing like fireflies. Edwyn kept his pace steady, his Feather Step spell lightening his strides, his eyes scanning for threats.
This place is a freakin' death trap. Stay sharp, or you're lunch.
Deep in the forest, Ramsay trudged through the underbrush, his massive frame hunched, his scar-twisted face pale with pain. As a Knight's Squire, his body was a weapon, and Mage healing potions had gotten him back on his feet after Edwyn's Magic Missile had… rearranged him. But the potions had worn off, and the agony in his groin was a constant, searing reminder of his loss. Not a man anymore, the pain screamed, each step a torment. His bloodshot eyes burned with hatred, his teeth clenched as he leaned against a tree, cursing through ragged breaths. "That bastard… that mutt… I'll learn magic, rape him, kill him, grind him to dust!"
His mind teetered on madness, hatred clouding his vision until he saw a figure step from the shadows, slight, red-haired, with a grin sharp as a blade. Him. Ramsay's heart froze, terror drowning his rage.
"Well, well, fancy seeing you here, big guy," Edwyn drawled, as he leaned against a tree, his blue eyes glinting with mock surprise. "I was just hunting for a crystal orb. Didn't expect to find you gift-wrapped." He raised his hand, a pulse of blue light crackling at his fingertip, the same glow that haunted Ramsay's nightmares.
Ramsay's bravado crumbled, his face draining of color. "No… not you!" he stammered, turning to run, his massive legs pumping despite the pain. He'd cursed Edwyn for weeks, but that blue glow was his demon, a nightmare made flesh.
Edwyn's grin faded, his eyes cold as steel. "You don't get to walk away, creep," he said, his voice low and deadly. "Who knows how many girls you'd target if you became a Mage? Time to say goodbye, buddy." He flicked his wrist, and a Magic Missile erupted, streaking through the air like a comet. It struck Ramsay's skull with a sickening crunch, the back of his head caving in, red and white matter splattering across the forest floor.
"Ugh!" Edwyn gagged, his stomach lurching at the sight. The metallic stench of blood hit him like a wave, his vision swimming as he retched again.
First kill, and it's a damn mess.
Even hardened killers puked their first time, the raw shock of death overwhelming the body. He wasn't afraid, just grossed out. "Man, that's nasty," he muttered, wiping his mouth. "Gotta work on my aim… or my stomach."
Steeling himself, he stepped forward, his boots squelching in the blood-soaked earth. He looted Ramsay's satchel, snagging his crystal orb and nutrient vials, their weight a welcome addition to his belt. More supplies, faster travel. Score. In Ramsay's pocket, he found a black, diamond-shaped crystal, its surface cool and smooth. As his fingers brushed it, a surge of potent mana pulsed through him, like touching a live wire.
"Well, damn," he said, his grin returning. "A Mana Stone? Lucky."
He tucked the stone away, his mind racing. Kevan's note had mentioned Mana Stones as exam currency, and the nobles' gossip hinted at Arcane Artifacts powered by them.
This could be my edge.
The forest loomed around him, its shadows alive with rustles and distant screams. The exam had just begun, and blood was already soaking the earth.